Chapter 5 - The Cabin in the Pines
The storm chased them two hours north, the torrential urban rain transforming into thick, blinding sleet as the elevation rose into the Catskills. The old cabin sat secluded in a dense grove of towering hemlocks, shrouded in darkness. Julian cut the headlights a quarter-mile early, coasting the Charger into a dilapidated wooden shed beside the main cabin.
Carrying Olivia through the threshold, he kicked the door shut and engaged the heavy iron deadbolt. The air inside was stale, smelling of pine needles, cedar wood, and dry paper, undisturbed for nearly five years.
Julian laid Olivia on the sofa in front of the stone hearth, quickly building a fire with dry split oak and kindling. Within minutes, amber light danced across the log walls, casting warm shadows that chased away the damp chill. Lucy sat on the floor, holding her mother's hand, unwilling to let go for even a single breath.
Julian found a box of first-aid supplies and dry clothes in the closet. He helped Olivia change out of her soaked garments, his heart aching at the sight of her collarbones protruding sharply beneath her skin. She was ill, far sicker than she had let on at the bus depot.
""Drink this,"" Julian said gently, handing her a mug of hot tea heated over the hearth.
Olivia took small sips, her shivering slowly subsiding. ""I tried to hide in Maine, Julian. But Victoria hired private investigators who never stopped searching. They intercepted my medical records from the free clinic. That’s how they found out Lucy was eight.""
""How did she convince my father to agree to this?"" Julian demanded, crouching beside her, anger burning behind his eyes. ""My father was strict, but he had a code.""
""Your father had Alzheimer's in his final two years,"" Olivia murmured bitterly. ""Victoria had power of attorney. She forged the codicil to the trust. It stated that if you died without a legal heir, the Hale estate absorbed everything. But if a grandchild existed, Victoria would manage the trust as the legal guardian until Lucy turned twenty-five.""
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Julian stared into the dancing flames, the pieces falling into place with sickening clarity. ""Victoria didn't want to marry me for love. She married me to complete the legal paperwork to claim Lucy as our legitimate daughter.""
Suddenly, the wooden floorboards beneath their feet vibrated with a low, rumbling thud. Outside, through the frosted glass of the small window, the twin beams of high-powered headlights swept through the pines.
